SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
This invention relates to an implement for removing shingles from a building roof in an orderly and systematic fashion. The implement is designed to make the shingle-removal operation easier and quicker for the human operator.
Typically, shingles are removed from a building roof by using a chisel or pry bar. The process involves inserting the chisel or pry bar underneath the uppermost shingle and then lift the exposed end of the chisel or pry bar to push the uppermost shingle away from the underlying shingles. The process is time-consuming and relatively inefficient. Usually several back-and-forth motions of the chisel are required to remove a given shingle from the roof surface.
The present invention relates to an implement for removing a shingle from a roof surface quickly and with less effort on the part of the human operator of the implement. In preferred practice of the invention, the implement comprises a relatively wide flat blade having a leading edge adapted to be inserted underneath the exposed edge of the shingle that is to be removed, and a trailing edge connected to an elongated handle. The handle can be used as a lever to cause the blade to exert a lifting force on the shingle.
The blade is preferably equipped with an angulated plate on its rear surface, so that when the blade is shoved underneath the shingle the angulated plate supports the blade against downward deflection by the reaction force generated by the shingle. The blade is maintained at an acute angle to the shingle (roof) plane, so that the blade exerts maximum lift force on the overlying shingle.
A V-shaped cutting edge is inset into the blade leading edge for cutting through the shingle after the blade has advanced a predetermined distance along the single lower surface. The shingle can thus be cut into sections during the shingle lifting operation, thereby facilitating the shingle removal process.
Further features of the invention will be apparent from the attached drawing and description of an illustrative embodiment of the invention.
In summary, and in accordance with the above discussion, the foregoing objectives are achieved in the following described embodiments.
1. An implement for removing shingles from a building roof comprising:
a blade having a leading edge adapted to be inserted into the joint between a first lower shingle forming an underlayer, and a second upper shingle forming an upperlayer; PA1 an elongated handle connected to said blade for advancing said blade into the joint, whereby the handle can then be used as a lever to lift said second shingle away from said first shingle; and PA1 said handle extending a substantial distance from said blade. PA1 said plate having a first end thereof attached to said blade at a point spaced from the blade leading edge and a second end spaced from the blade surface near the point where said handle is connected to said blade. PA1 said blade having an undersurface; and PA1 a plate attached to the blade under surface for maintaining the blade at an acute angle to the shingle plane when the blade is advanced into the joint between the upper and lower shingles. PA1 a flat blade having a leading edge and a trailing edge; said blade having an upper surface and a lower surface; PA1 a handle connected to the blade upper surface proximate to the blade trailing edge; PA1 a plate connected to the blade lower surface for maintaining said blade at an acute angle to the shingle plane when said blade is shoved into the joint between an upper shingle and a lower shingle; PA1 said plate having a first end thereof connected to the blade lower surface at a point proximate to the blade leading edge; and PA1 said plate having a second end thereof spaced from the blade lower surface at a point proximate to the blade trailing edge. PA1 said blade having two side edges connecting the blade leading edge and blade trailing edge; and PA1 said V-shaped shingle cutting edge being located in close proximity to one of the blade side edges.
2. The implement, as described in paragraph 1, and further comprising means for maintaining said blade at an acute angle to the plane of the shingles when said blade is advanced into the shingle joint, whereby said upper shingle is automatically wedged upwardly away from said lower shingle.
3. The implement, as described in paragraph 2, wherein said means for maintaining the blade at an acute angle to the shingle plane comprises a plate acutely angled to the blade plane; and
4. The implement, as described in paragraph 1, wherein said blade has an upper surface adapted to engage the undersurface of said upper shingle when the blade is advanced into the joint between said upper and lower shingles;
5. The implement, as described in paragraph 4, wherein said plate has a first end thereof attached to said blade at a point set back slightly from the blade leading edge, and a second end thereof spaced from the blade undersurface.
6. The implement, as described in paragraph 5, wherein said plate has an undersurface that has a slight convex curvature.
7. The implement, as described in paragraph 1, wherein the blade leading edge has an inset shingle cutter means adapted to cut through the upper shingle when said blade has advanced a predetermined distance into the joint between said upper and lower shingles.
8. The implement, as described in paragraph 7, wherein said shingle cutter means comprises a V-shaped cutting edge indented into the blade leading edge.
9. The implement, as described in paragraph 8, and further comprising plural nail-puller grooves indented into the blade leading edge.
10. The implement, as described in paragraph 1, and further comprising plural nail-puller grooves indented into the blade leading edge.
11. An implement for removing shingles from a building roof comprising:
12. The implement, as described in paragraph 11, and further comprising a V-shaped shingle cutting edge indented into the blade leading edge, and plural nail-puller grooves indented into the blade leading edge;